Photographer's Note

The Church of St. Paul, Rabat

The beautiful St. Paul's Church in Rabat stands above a grotto where St. Paul is said to have taken refuge after his shipwreck on Malta.

History

Acccording to the Book of Acts, Paul and his missionary party were shipwrecked on Malta for three months.
During his stay, Paul was bitten by a snake and remained unharmed, prompting the natives to regard him as a god. He later healed the father of the governor of the island, Publius, and many other people (Acts 28:1-11).
According to tradition, St Paul eschewed the comfortable surroundings offered to him and chose to live in this subterranean grotto instead. Whether or not this is true, it is possible that he preached from here.

What to See

The Church of St. Paul, built above the grotto, dates from the 17th century. The statue of St Paul was donated by Grand Master Pinto in 1748; the silver galley hanging from the ceiling was given by the Knights of St John in 1960 to mark the 1,900-year anniversary of St Paul's shipwreck. Pope John Paul prayed in the grotto during his visit in May 1990.
The Sanctuary of St Publius was added on to the Church of St. Paul in 1617. The Spaniard Publius came to Malta in about 1600 to become a knight, but upon visiting the grotto he decided to become a hermit instead. Lorenzo Gafa renovated the building in 1692 and his brother Melchiorre executed the marble statue of St Paul..
Note that St. Paul's Grotto is not the same as the similarly-named St. Paul's Catacombs, which are a few miles away.

Rabat

Like nearby Mdina, Rabat played a major role in Malta’s past and is a prime source of its cultural heritage.
This large provincial township was part of the Roman city of Melita, with the sites and archaeological relics found testifying to the town's importance during the Roman period.
For many centuries, religious orders have established themselves within the precincts of Rabat and Franciscans, Dominicans and Augustinians still flourish here in their spacious convents and monasteries, catering for the religious needs of parishioners in their churches.
The town is a commercial centre and acts as a market to its large agricultural hinterland. It is also well established on the tourist map due to its archaeological and historical sites: The Roman House Domus, Catacombs, St. Paul’s Grotto and the fine churches and monasteries. (Source: visitmalta)

Hello George,
An agreeable atmospheric picture of this beautiful church. The point of view is well chosen to show off the detail in the lovely façade, which sits well under the splendid blue sky. Very good colours and sharpness. Have a good week.

Hi Gyorgy,
Beautiful street scene. Also, the church is magnific, a weird combination of saint architecture and casino neon letters. The forbidden laterall signs force you to concentrate on the center of the image. Well done, perfect composition.

Hello George,
It is beautiful and interesting legend, told in your note. It is also a beautiful image of architecture with an excellent controlled and too not filtered light, which gives a beautiful natural aspect to the stone. Excellent clearness. Cheer.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

George,
This is a great shot of this fine church. The balanced view is nice and the addition of the horse and carriage adds interest for the shot. The lighting and colors are great and the photo has fine sharpness.
TFS,
Asa

Great and wonderful secnery/archtecture shot.
Bright but slight fresh color tone is marvelous.
Perfect composition and well calcurated framework as usual. Blessing on your great job and thanks for sharing, Have a nice start of new week and Best regards,
Takero

Hello
your collection of photos is excellent
you have a real album of interesting photos
the architectural details are very well composed
beautiful street scene with the little horse
and the magnificent church
compliments
Costantino

Hi George!A very nice view of very beautiful church!
Very attractive architecture picture!
Sharpness, exposure, pov, colors, contrasts, horizontal format, . I like the beautiful The beautiful Church St. Paul's in Rabat The point "FG"of view is well chosen to show off the detail in the lovely facade, which sits well under the splendid blue sky and the good lights here. The clarity is superb.
best wishes,